Secrets of 12th-century medicine revealed in the Herbal of al-Ghafiqi

Scholars gather to study unique manuscript from one of the greatest botanist/pharmacologist of the Islamic period

McGill University’s Osler Library of the History of Medicine houses the "Herbal of al-Ghafiqi" - one of the most remarkable medieval Arabic manuscripts on simple drugs. The lavishly illustrated unicum - that is, the only known copy of this work - was composed by the celebrated 12th-century Andalusian physician and scholar Abu Ja’far al-Ghafiqi (d.1165), considered by many as the greatest savant of medicinal plants, whose work had no equal in his field.

On Aug. 19-20, McGill’s Institute of Islamic Studies and The Osler Library will officially launch The Ghafiqi Project as it hosts a workshop for an interdisciplinary team of international scholars to study the manuscript for the first time. The Project aims to spur subsequent research, culminating in the eventual publication of a three-volume work including a facsimile of the manuscript, translation and scholarly commentary.

"We are thrilled at the response that we have received from international experts in the fields of language, art and science," said Pamela Miller, History of Medicine Librarian at the Osler Library. "In particular, this manuscript is a tangible witness of the transmission of knowledge across cultures and highlights the central role played by pharmacology down through the ages."

On the web: http://www.mcgill.ca/library/library-findinfo/subjects/health/ghafiqiproject/

For more information on the Ghafiqi project, to view the manuscript or to speak to any of its team members, please contact:

Allison Flynn
Media Relations
McGill University
514-398-7698
allison.j.flynn [a] mcgill (p) ca